Chester Amphitheatre

First things first: you won’t need to plan a day to see the amphitheatre; hugely impressive as it is, within half an hour (though probably less) you’ll have done everything there is to do. Not that there is anything to do, other than sit and daydream about the history of this site.

It’s the largest of its kind discovered in Britain and, though one half remains hidden underneath buildings and land, the exposed half is open for the public to enjoy. Its life began around 2,000 years ago, when dull stuff like military training was carried out alongside spicier events such as gladiator fights. If you’re anything like me, your mind will wander away to Russell Crowe’s Maximus…

I digress. The amphitheatre was nearly confined to history, after being built upon hundreds of years ago, but gardeners rediscovered it in the 1920s. Hurray for them! You must see this ancient site.